Following their shameless exploitation of the brutal capitalistic mindset behind the Super-Rock idiom with their Falcon (ex-Circle) album Frontier, and some live dates as Circle in collaboration with visual artist Mika Taanila (for his Time Machines exhibition) which resulted in the March 2, 2014 released live album Sseennsseess (review by yours truly posted...see for yourselves!), the band members behind Finland's Avant-Rock explorers Circle (currently re-named to Circle (ex-Falcon)) are back with a new studio album, which is surprisingly acoustic in sound.
Here's what the guys themselves say (with some comments by myself in between where warranted/ provoked) : “Combining acoustic instrumentation with at-times menacing vocals...” (huh...menacing vocals? Where? Have I been listening to a different album, or is the menace possibly in the meaning of the lyrics?) “... complete with looming space sounds captured by NASA...” (ooh...wish I knew where exactly those sounds come in) “...the album yields a timeless yet distinctive archaic “klang”.” (Timeless? Check! Distinctive? Check! Archaic? How can anything “timeless” be truly archaic? The sound being a timeless and distinctive “klang”? For sure, I mean...absolutely!) “...The ritualistic conviction of the group becomes obvious as the gritty idiosyncracy...” (hum...the proper word is “idiosyncrasy”, really) “...of the album gradually unfolds into a journey through spiritual anarchism...” (that “ritualistic conviction of the band” also comes through in the somewhat shamanistic repetition factor in the individual songs) “...leaving the listener baffled at the exacting abandonment of the ensemble.” Thàt must be one of the understatements of the year, I guess!
Two of the songs on the album (namely “Protectorate” and “Valley”) were done in the English language, but the other tracks are simply done in Finnish, with the album's opening track “Huohu” done in spoken word style...the exception being the instrumental “Rakeita”, on which I clearly discern some cello being played. For album closer “Viaton”, we return to sighs and a spoken word, which I can only gather to be a mixture of English ànd Finnish. The track also has a slight Ennio Morricone tonality to it thanks to that wacky second guitar being played. For your introduction to the album however, the band chose two different songs than the ones already mentioned. You can listen to 'em at (www.) ektrorecords.com.
The album may be acoustic, but overall one doesn't miss the electric guitar a bit, thanks to the hypnotic style the band members embrace. In essence, one might be inclined to state that this is yet another essential album for the band...but in truth it is simply another great addition to a collection of albums which all stand out in their own way! Yeah...I love what these guys do, I really do, and they haven't let me down once with any of the albums I've come across. Oh yeah, before I forget : the release of the LP version of the album was postponed to April 4, due to too many people wanting their albums printed prior to this next June 19, that being Record Store Day.